And I'll tell you why...
There are estimated to be 130 MILLION people with at least one moderate to severe invisible/chronic illness in America. This means that they do not use a cane, walker, wheelchair, or other assistive device to get around. They live a life of pain, nausea, mental sickness, vomiting, etc without anyone else knowing because, when you immediately look at them, you have no idea any of this is going on.
Due to the fact that one does not LOOK sick upon sight, doctors, friends, and family often dismiss the symptoms that the patient is complaining of; thus, suicide rates are high among those within the Invisible Illness Community. Up to 70% of suicides are reportedly related to chronic illness or physical pain. Sadly, half of those who commit suicide within the Invisible Illness Community are under the age of 35! This is a DAUNTING statistic.
From my own personal experiences, I can tell you that, having an illness that is not immediately noticeable to people sucks. Having ANY disease sucks PERIOD, but having one that people can't SEE and IDENTIFY with is the pits. Having an UNPRONOUNCEABLE disease is no fun either (but that's trivial).
At the end of the day, we want...
LOVE...
AWARENESS...
UNDERSTANDING...
COMPASSION...
PEACE...
EQUALITY...
